


(Not Quite) On the Rocks

by Hezaia



Category: Dr. STONE (Anime), Dr. STONE (Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-18 03:28:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21921058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hezaia/pseuds/Hezaia
Summary: Senku: Yo, blockhead. If you find one of those stone birds on the way, bring it to me. I want to test something.-In which Senku decided to do another experiment, and things turned out a biiiit differently.
Relationships: Asagiri Gen & Ishigami Senkuu, Ishigami Byakuya & Ishigami Senkuu, Ishigami Senkuu & Ogawa Yuzuriha & Ooki Taiju, Ogawa Yuzuriha/Ooki Taiju
Comments: 6
Kudos: 194





	(Not Quite) On the Rocks

**Author's Note:**

> This... didn't go according to plan.
> 
> I was planning on a much shorter, sweeter and more coherent one-shot, but then a certain someone came along and ruined it all.
> 
> (Damn you, Asagiri Gen.)

“Honestly,” Yuzuriha said. “Like the veterinary clinic would be open before school hours? You always act without thinking! And to bring it to a veterinary clinic? That sculpture can’t be a real bird to begin with. So stupid. You should be embarrassed for yourself.”

And he was. “You’re right, sorry.”

Damn, why did it have to be her of all people? Why did she have to pass by and see−?

“Wait…” he paused, blinking in confusion. “Why are you−?”

Why was she here? This wasn’t her usual path to−

She pulled out something from behind her back. “Tada! Here’s another shameful idiot who acts without thinking.”

Taiju laughed.

“Hey, stop laughing! We’re in the same boat over here! We’re both going to be late for school!”

Ah. “Oh, you’re right! We should really−”

There was buzzing in his pocket. Curious, Taiju took out his phone. “Hm? Message?”

Yuzuriha immediately leaned in. “From whom?”

Taiju was momentarily distracted by her scent; she smelled so good. Frowning, he forced himself to focus on the message. “It’s from Senku.”

“From Senku?” Yuzuriha leaned in even further. “Can I see?”

Of course. How could he ever−?

* * *

 **Senku:** _Yo, blockhead. If you find one of those stone birds on the way, bring it to me. I want to test something._

* * *

“Test something?”

“That’s right.”

“What is that?”

“This? Just some nital.”

“Nital?”

“Mixture of alcohol and nitric acid, used for etching metal.”

“Hm…?”

“Potentially explosive if the percentage of nitric acid exceeds 10 percent.”

“Senku!”

“Blockhead, there’s like one millimetre’s risk of an explosion happening with this, since it has less than five. If it was above five, it wouldn’t be kept in a closed container like this.”

“Still, where did you get it?”

“Why is that important? Also, are you guys planning to stick around? Don’t you have more important stuff to do?”

“More important stuff…?”

Taiju involuntarily glanced towards Yuzuriha. She glanced back at him curiously.

“Um… Taiju- _kun_? Your face is kind of red?”

Ah, damn.

“Honestly, you two,” Senku scoffed. “Are you two gonna stand around all day making eyes at each other? Because if so, could you get lost? I’ve got science to do.”

“Senku−!” “−Can we watch?”

Senku blinked, shooting Yuzuriha a momentary glance before turning back around. “Sure.”

Taiju looked at Yuzuriha. She in turn smiled and gave him a thumbs-up. How could Taiju not smile at that?

Today was the day; Taiju had already decided. Today was the day that he would finally confess to Yuzuriha!

Actually, he had meant to be doing that just about now. First, he had asked Yuzuriha to wait for him at the camphor tree after school, and then Taiju had planned on dropping by the chemistry clubroom to let Senku know about his intentions. However−

_“Oh, but we haven’t brought the stone figurines to Senku yet!”_

−Things had not gone according to plan.

Still, Taiju had been waiting to confess for around five years now, so what was a couple more minutes to that?

Besides, while Taiju might not really understand a lot of things, he did wonder what Senku was planning on doing with the stone figurines and that ‘nital’ thing.

“Taiju…”

“Hm?”

“What’s that?”

Taiju snapped his head around; he wasn’t the only one.

There was a strange green glow at the horizon, and Taiju was immediately grabbed by a strong sense of unease, instincts blaring danger, danger. Without caring that it was out of line, he grabbed Yuzuriha and pulled her close to shield her with his body and then looked to Senku. He was more than a couple of steps away, but if Taiju hurried then−

He took a step and then another, but on the third, something happened; his body wouldn’t move. The last thing he heard was Yuzuriha’s scream and the last thing he saw was Senku, staring at him in shocked disbelief.

Taiju didn’t know what had happened. He didn’t know how long he had been there, in the dark void, but suddenly, he heard a cracking sound and then, then there was light.

And Senku; Senku was there too.

Taiju drew a breath, ready to shout, to do something, but a pained gasp immediately stopped him in his tracks. He looked down and there was a confused-looking Yuzuriha, wincing in pain as Taiju held her. He immediately let her go, hoping there would be no bruises or worse; what if he had somehow managed to hurt her? If so, then he would never forgive himself!

“Yo, blockhead. About time you woke up.”

Senku.

Taiju looked at him and only really noticed the other things; they were surrounded by human-shaped, human-sized statues that all bore an eerie resemblance to the people in the chemistry club.

“What happened?”

Senku had a definite look on his face. “Not sure, but roughly three years three months thirteen days fourteen hours and fifty-two seconds ago, we – along with most of humanity – were petrified. Turned to stone, that is.”

Roughly? “How do you know that?”

There was a mild shrug at that. “I was counting. There must’ve been some power outage at some point, because the clocks around here are not accurate.”

Taiju was not sure he properly understood that. “You were… counting? For all this time?”

The thought of Senku counting for that long was horrifying, but not implausible.

“But how did you–? How did we–?”

Senku turned around with a slight grin, showing off a bottle?

“Don’t tell me−” Yuzuriha’s said, her eyes wide. _“Nital?”_

The grin widened. “That’d billion points to Yu−”

Taiju couldn’t continue holding it in; couldn’t continue holding it back. _“Senkuuuuuu! Uwaaaaa!”_

In no time, he had his scientist friend enclosed in a tight hug, and even as Senku swore at him, he didn’t let go. Then another pair of arms surrounded them both. Yuzuriha.

“I’m not sure what’s going on, but don’t leave me out of it, guys.”

Like he could ever leave her. Not unless she explicitly wanted him to, that is.

* * *

“Say, why did you revive us? Like, I’m glad that you did, but…”

“Why? Because I know you guys, and because I knew you wouldn’t run around like headless chickens the moment you saw the state of this place.”

“Why not some adult though?”

“Tch, adults? Let’s be honest here: The moment we’d revive one of them, they’d likely start taking control of the situation, and right now, I can’t have that.”

“Why?”

“Well, maliciously or out of concern, they would likely try to stop me.”

“From what?”

“From heading out to search for my old man.”

“Your dad? But wasn’t he−Oh.”

“Judging by the social media posts, he and the rest of the space crew tried to get back to Earth after the petrification event, and they’d have the best chances of survival if they landed in the sea close but not too close to some islands. And since it’s been three years and no movement since then, I figured they might be stuck there. Because if they weren’t, we’d definitely know.”

“So, we’re heading out to rescue them?”

“That’s the plan. But, while I hate to admit it, we’re too few and inexperienced. Like, it’s not like I can’t figure things out if I read up on the topic, but we lack necessary real-life experience. And power. That too I guess.”

“Oh, but if we need power, then I know a really strong guy: Shishio Tsukasa. He goes to our school.”

“Yeah, except, who knows what kind of guy he is, especially if he wakes up to this scenario? What if he wants something radically different from us? If he’s too powerful, he’d easily overpower us. Like maybe, if we got a few weapons, but it’d still be fairly easy for him to turn the tables on us if we let our guards down for just a second…”

“Physical strength isn’t everything though.”

“Yeah, I know. But if we can’t predict how he’d handle the situation, it’ll be too dangerous for us. Actually, the same goes with reviving just about anyone else at this point. We need to−”

“Senku?”

“I guess there’s that option…?”

* * *

“Eeeh, what’s this? Some kind of prank?”

“If this is a prank, then no one’s laughing, you fake mentalist.”

“Ah, not a fan then? Buuut, judging by the current situation, you are in need of my help, no? Naturally, I wouldn’t do it for free, but if it was a request from a pretty girl− Uwa, so defensive. I really mean no harm.”

“Hoh? No freebies then?”

“No freebies. A guy’s got to make a living~”

“Well, good luck with that. Taiju, Yuzuriha, let’s go.”

“Wai-wai-wait! You’re leaving just like that?! Didn’t you need my help?!”

“Nah, you’re too troublesome. I’ve got other options.”

“Huh?”

* * *

“You know, Senku- _chan_ , I get it, you know.”

“What?”

“You’d never have given up that easily. That was just a ruse to throw me off balance and trick me into working for you.”

“Really? I didn’t realise.”

“Like really, I should’ve seen it coming. You’re really something, Senku- _chan_.”

“You’re really something yourself, Asagiri Gen.”

“Oh, is that a compliment?”

“Hey, hey, guys!”

“Taiju. What’s up?”

“Dinner!”

“Thanks for letting us know. We’ll be down in a minute.”

“Got it, Senku! We’ll save some plates for you!”

“Yeah, yeah…”

“…And there he went.”

“So…”

“So?”

“Why did you stick around? You already know what’s in the de-petrification liquid, and no one would really have cared if you’d stayed behind at Ryusui’s place. I didn’t think you’d be the kind of man who’d go through the trouble of boarding a submarine and setting out on this kind of quest. Also, what’s with the outfit?”

“Oh, you noticed? I actually like this kind of wear. Lots of storage. Your friend is really talented~”

“Yuzuriha made it?”

“Yup!”

“Hm… well, no matter. Head down before me. I’m gonna check if Ukyo’s still on the bridge.”

“Okay~”

“Wait.”

“Hm?”

“You didn’t answer my question. Why did you stick around?”

“Oh, you’re curious, Senku- _chan_ ~?”

“If you won’t want to say it then don’t.”

_“Senku!”_

“What is it, Yuzuriha?”

“Everyone is to gather at the bridge! Ukyo’s found something!”

“Hoh?” “Heeeh?!”

* * *

‘Something’ turned out to be a makeshift rowing boat, piloted by two Russian astronauts – Yakov Nikitin and Darya Nikitina.

The two were very surprised and very, very relieved to at the impromptu rescue, because up on the surface, it was rather stormy.

After getting them safely inside and wrapped up in blankets, it was time for some proper introductions.

Ryusui naturally started out; he was technically speaking the captain after all, even if his main expertise concerned vessels travelling on top of water rather than down below it. He even took it upon himself to introduce everyone else.

Francois and Ukyo gave polite nods and shook hands.

Taiju grinned broadly and did the same, very enthusiastically.

Yuzuriha offered up her hand along with a slightly shy but still warm smile.

Gen offered up a smile and a slight wave before eyeing Senku, who was introduced last.

Predictably, the astronauts did a doubletake when he was introduced.

“Yeah, _that_ Ishigami Senku,” Senku said, arms folded across his chest. “I think you might know my old man.”

* * *

Not long thereafter, the submarine resurfaced close to a certain remote island, and a bunch of young kids, who had never seen a submarine before, ran away screaming about a massive sea monster.

Ishigami Byakuya left Shamil and Lilian to watch over the bedridden Connie and ran down to the beach, a gaggle of children following him.

By the time he arrived, the hatch was open, and a few people had already climbed out. One had stopped to help pull someone else up, and when Byakuya saw that someone, his sight went slightly blurry. Because even from afar, he knew exactly who it was.

_“Ooooooi! Senkuuuuu!”_

And if that was not enough, Byakuya noticed more familiar faces. Yakov and Darya were back, and looking at them and at Senku, Byakuya had a feeling that things might turn out alright after all. 

* * *

“So, yeah, in summary, you’re a big brother now.”

Senku looked from the kid to the sheepish-looking Byakuya to an equally sheepish-looking Lilian and then back again. “Yeah, I can see that.”

A bit to the side, there was the rest of the kids, along with Taiju and Yuzuriha. Earlier, they had been playing with the kids and introduced them to various games. Now they, alongside the kids, provided an audience for Gen’s makeshift performance.

“Honestly…”

The kid ran off to join the others, and they – along with Taiju – looked on in wonder as Gen made flowers appear and disappear.

Then Gen offered one to Yuzuriha and she took it, immediately turning to Taiju.

“Coming to think of it, you still haven’t told me that thing you wanted to tell me after school, Taiju- _kun_ ,” she said with a smile.

Taiju, having waited and waited and waited for a good opportunity to appear, couldn’t hold it in any longer. “Yuzuriha, would you go out with me?!”

She said yes, and Taiju practically exploded with joy, and the children cheered.

“Ah, love is in the air,” Gen commented, joining Senku on the side.

“Well,” Senku said. “Pheromones at least.”

“Pheromones?” Gen blinked. “Humans have those?”

“That research is still in its infancy,” Senku said. “And I don’t have 1 millimetre of interest in adding to it.”

Gen hummed thoughtfully in response. “Well, I guess dealing with the whole petrification issue takes priority…”

Well, that obviously went without saying. Reviving humanity was obviously important, and so was finding out the reason behind the whole petrification event and preventing such a thing from reoccurring – the source was allegedly in South America, so that was obviously where some of them would go next.

“So…” Gen smiled. “Does that expedition have room for a mentalist? Give me cola and ramen and I’ll even work for free~”

“Hoh? That’s unexpectedly agreeable of you. Are you trying to get closer to Ryusui so he’ll become your sponsor?”

“That’s actually a pretty good idea, Senku- _chan_! We should ask him!”

“We?”

“We. That lab of yours back home could use a few upgrades, don’t you think?”

“Not that it doesn’t, but why is the state of my lab any of your business? Besides, with society in this kind of state, it’s not like I can’t just waltz into any unoccupied lab and start using it.”

“Well, you know~”

“I really don’t. Why?”

“Ah, but… Senku- _chan_ ’s just so fascinating to be around. I’ve met a lot of unusual people, but no one quite as extraordinary as you. You spent your whole petrification period counting, and before that, you were already investigating the petrified swallows and managed to pinpoint the exact solution by logical reasoning alone. And Taiju- _chan_ and Yuzuriha- _chan_ told me all kinds of stuff you were up to before that – Is it really true that you sent a rocket into space? And that you went to Africa to do research on Ebola? And that you built a special suit to teach your dad to swim with clothes on? Or that thing with the freeze ray gun?! What kind of high schooler−No, _middle schooler_ does that?”

“I built the first prototype in first grade. There were lots of failures.”

“And your dad – he sold his car to get you lab equipment! That’s just out of this world!”

“Then why don’t you follow him around? Besides… A man who compliments another man to his face is either gay or a tactician. Of course, in your case−”

“Are those really mutually exclusive though?”

“In your case? Hardly.”

“Heeeh, making assumptions about me, are you, Senku- _chan_?”

“Actually, you’re right. It’s really none of my business.”

“Heeeh, boring. Say, Senku- _chan_ , have you ever been in love?”

“No. Also, what kind of question is that?”

“A fairly normal one?”

“For what? Middle schoolers?”

“Are you dodging the question?”

“How? I already said that I haven’t.”

“Then what are your thoughts about marriage? Children?”

“Coming to think of it, Lilian actually agreed to marry my old man. When more people get de-petrified, it’ll definitely be a big scandal, with the kid and all… You?”

“You didn’t really answer the question, Senku- _chan_ …”

“Fine. I don’t mind children, especially when they’re old enough to start thinking for themselves. They’re curious and want to know how things work. I like that.”

“So, you see yourself in them then?”

“Hey, don’t attempt to psychoanalyse me on this. Also, you’re dodging now.”

“Well, to be perfectly honest, I haven’t really given it much thought. I’ve been so busy with all the shows, all the books, all the TV appearances and such, and before that, well, not really the time or place to think of such things. But children would be nice, eventually. Wouldn’t necessarily have to be my own though.”

“Ah, I actually forgot you used to be a working adult.”

“That’s mean! But to be fair, I kind of forgot I was talking to a high school student there. Have you done those things where you fill in your future career choices yet?”

“Ah, those things? Not yet.”

“What would you write on them then? No, wait, let me guess: astronaut~”

“Heh, as if.”

“Heeeh, I made a mistake? But that is your dream, no?”

“Really. Did Taiju or Yuzuriha tell you that? Or my old man? When I was a kid, I always figured I’d go into space, but now…”

“Now you’ve come to the point where you’ve mostly dismissed it, figuring you’d never pass the physical? Why let that stop you though? The Nanami Conglomerate is already leading in maritime shipping. Considering Ryusui- _chan_ ’s character, it shouldn’t be that hard to convince him to branch out into space travel~”

“You’re awfully confident in your own abilities, mentalist.”

“Do I have a reason not to be?”

* * *

 **Taiju:** _Yo, Senku!_

 **Yuzuriha** : _Hi, Senku!_ _What’s up?_

 **Senku:** _Nothing much, still investigating. How are things over there?_

 **_Yuzuriha_ ** _: Fine, for the most part. Your dad and the others are working hard. How’s Gen?_

 **_Senku_ ** _: Why does Gen come up in this conversation?_

 **_Yuzuriha_ ** _: No reason. Haven’t heard anything from him in a while. Is he working or…?_

 **_Senku_ ** _: Surprisingly, he’s working very hard._

 **_Taiju_ ** _: What is he doing?_

 **_Senku_ ** _: He’s already convinced Ryusui to sponsor my new lab. Now it seems like he’s trying to sell Ryusui on the idea of investing in space travel…_

 **_Yuzuriha_ ** _: Oh._

 **_Yuzuriha_ ** _: Is he succeeding? XD_

 **_Senku_ ** _: …_

 **_Taiju_ ** _: By the way, Senku, you should call your dad from time to time. He misses you._

 **_Senku_ ** _: I’ll consider unblocking his number if he stops spamming me with pics. Tell him that._

 **_Senku_ ** _: Was that all?_

 **_Taiju_ ** _: Wait! One more thing!_

 **_Senku_ ** _: What?_

 **_Yuzuriha_ ** _: Stay safe._ _😊_

 **_Taiju_ ** _: And come back soon. We’re waiting for you._

 **_Senku_ ** _: Yeah, yeah…_


End file.
